TROY >> A.J. Reed can add another trophy to his metaphorical mantle piece.

The Tri-City ValleyCats first baseman, who was taken in the second round of this year’s MLB Draft by the Houston Astros out of Kentucky, was named the winner of the Golden Spikes award, presented to the top amateur baseball player in the country, USA Baseball announced Thursday.

The award comes on the heels of Reed’s other accolades following a standout junior season with the Wildcats, including being named SEC Player of the Year, National Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association as well as Baseball America’s College Player of the Year.

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“It’s been a great time,” Reed said of his collegiate career during the award ceremony, which was broadcast on ESPN. “I just have to give thanks to the coaches at Kentucky for giving me the opportunity and giving me everything that I need to be successful and never giving up on me and pushing me. A big thanks goes out to them and my family.”

In his final season with Kentucky, Reed was a force to be reckoned with from every angle on the field, serving as the Wildcats top pitcher, with a 12-2 record and 2.09 ERA, while never losing control of his batting average, or reputation as a power hitter. This spring, the left-hander hit .336 with a Division I-best 23 home runs and was a first-team All-American.

Those numbers not only helped Reed earn the trophy over fellow finalists Michael Conforto of Oregon State and Aaron Nola of LSU but also cemented his legacy in the Kentucky history books even further, becoming the first Golden Spikes winner in program history.

“I think the big thing was just taking a step mentally and begin able to handle that kind of task,” Reed said of what led to his most recent honor. “The coaches had a big part in that, helping me through the process and just kind of making a decision that you want to help your team win games.”

After being selected in the draft this past June, Reed has continued to make a name for himself in Troy, settling into his role both as a first baseman with the ValleyCats and the team’s de facto power hitter.

In first 28 games with the ‘Cats, Reed hit .311 with 32 hits, including nine doubles and three home runs, in 103 at bats, driving in 22 runs while also recording more walks thank strike outs.

“I think he’s got good balance at the plate,” Tri-City manager Ed Romero said of Reed. “He’s got good disciple at the plate. He stays in there very good against left handed pitching, he can recognize pitches as far as breaking stuff. Then he’s always ready for the fastball. It’s a good combination and on top of that he’s a good hitter. He’s got tremendous power. So basically you have a very good combination because he’s not only a power guy, he is a hitter.”

This past week, Reed was also named the New York-Peen Leauge Offensive Player of the Week, the second straight ValleyCat to earn the honor, after batting .500 with 11 RBI and only two strikeouts in Tri-City’s most recent road trip.

They’re numbers that have not only garnered the attention of his teammates and coaches, but prove Reed hasn’t lost a step, or a swing, since his transition to pro ball.

“He’s very receptive and absorbing and he’s got a good attitude,” Romero said. “He’s been able to take everything we talk to him about into the game really quick. That’s a good sign.”

Following the departure of J.D. Davis, this year’s third-round pick by the Astros, to full-season A, Reed is expected to act primarily as the ValleyCats cleanup hitter and the team has high expectations for what he’ll continue to be able to do at the plate, as does Reed himself, who has been focused primarily on hitting since his pro introduction.

“It’s helped me mentally to just be able to focus on one,” he said. “I can go out there and just worry about hitting and try to be the best hitter I can be. I can just go out there and focus and try to help the Houston Astros organization as much as possible.”